A New 24-Hour Helpline Launches To Support Young Athletes

Young athletes are usually thought of as strong and tough, but what’s going on under the surface often goes unnoticed. Studies have found that almost 17% of youth elite athletes experience at least one mental health disorder, and research from the U.S. Center for Safesport found that 80% of young athletes experienced at least one sign of psychological harm or neglect.

At the same time, many sports kids don’t seek help for abuse, neglect, or mental health struggles. All of this is why Childhelp—a nonprofit child abuse prevention organization and distributor of the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline—has started a hotline dedicated specifically to child athletes.

Here’s a deeper dive into what this hotline is and why it’s necessary, along with the unique mental health challenges young athletes face and how parents can support their kids.

What To Know About the Courage First Athlete Helpline

The Courage First Athlete Helpline provides free, confidential 24-hour support for young athletes, as well as parents, coaches, or anyone concerned about abuse and mental health in youth sports.

“Childhelp launched the Courage First Athlete Helpline to ensure athletes, families, and sports communities have access to confidential, trauma-informed support and guidance, so concerns can be addressed early, voices can be heard, and abuse can be prevented,” explains Virginia Bagby, director of the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline, which includes the Courage First Athlete Helpline.

The helpline was created in response to what Bagby describes a growing and concerning reality within youth sports.

“High-profile cases, most notably the abuse perpetrated by Larry Nassar against athletes within Team USA, demonstrated that even athletes with significant visibility, resources, and access to support can be repeatedly victimized,” she shares. “These cases revealed how predators can exploit the structure, culture, and power dynamics of sports to gain access to young people and silence them.”

Considering the millions of children of all ages across the U.S. who participate in sport every day, the need for accessible and compassionate access to support has become even more urgent, Bagby emphasizes. “While athletics can be a powerful protective and developmental space, it can also present unique risks when safeguards are insufficient,” she says.

The Courage First Athlete Helpline is available seven days a week. If you need help, you can call or text 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

What Mental Health Challenges Do Student Athletes Face?

While children of all ages and interests can experience mental health challenges, there are some that are unique to athletes.

In many cases, youth sports are no longer just a game, says Jerry Weichman, PhD, clinical psychologist and founder of the Weichman Clinic. Athletes experience intense pressure to practice and perform, with an increased number of weekly practices and games, some of which happen on a nearly year-round schedule.

“Kids have to pick the sole sport they’re going to play throughout high school much earlier in life, while parents are living vicariously through their kids and applying additional daily stress and pressure to perform and train,” says Dr. Weichman.

Then there are the coaches—many of which are wonderful, but some of which exhibit problematic behaviors.

“Many coaches in these programs also feel the pressure to perform and win, in order to maintain both their credibility as well as the credibility of the program, which creates the allure for future families,” Dr. Weichman says. As a result of all this, many coaches these days “are not focused on the person or their mental health—its just about maximizing performance to tease out the best select group of starters to get the win,” he adds.

The end result of all this pressure is that student athletes are experiencing mental health challenges, including “moderate to severe levels of stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and burnout,” says Dr. Weichman.

Why It Can Be Hard for Young Athletes To Seek Help

It can be hard for anyone to share a mental health challenge they’re experiencing, or to report instances of abuse. But young athletes experience certain specific roadblocks to seeking the support they need.

One hindrance is the “tough it out” mentality inherent to many types of sports.

“Athletes often don’t get the help they need because we assume physical strength is linked to mental strength, so if someone is excelling in competition they must be mentally fit as well,” says Jonathan Jenkins, PsyD, CMPC, a clinical and sports psychologist and founder of Mental Fitness & Psychotherapy, LLC. “This falsehood has convinced many athletes to silence any cries for help and ‘suck it up’ as they pursue their passions.”

But there’s also the fear of retribution. Many athletes worry that divulging feelings of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts might end up costing them things like playing time, starting positions, scholarships, or other future opportunities, says Bagby, adding, “When those struggles are connected to harmful behavior by coaches or other powerful figures, the risk feels even greater.”

That’s why having safe places—such as the Courage First Athlete Helpline—are so important. “Creating safe, confidential pathways for athletes to speak up is essential,” Bagby says. Athletes need to be assured that seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness, she emphasizes.

What Parents Can Do To Support Their Young Athletes

Parents can have an important role supporting their young athletes. This includes making decisions about sport participation based on your individual child’s needs, not what other families are doing or what you think you should do. Dr. Weichman recommends allowing your child to explore as many different sports as possible and delaying competitive club sports when possible. “Let your child have a childhood,” he says.

It’s also vital that you watch out for signs of burnout in your child. According to Dr. Weichman, some signs of burnout in young athletes include:

• Decreased enjoyment in sports activities
• Negativity, including regularly complaining about people, coaches, and not looking forward to practice or games
• Not putting forth effort
• Extreme fatigue or exhaustion
• Elation when a sport event is canceled or when they have a break
• Making excuses to skip sports activities

If your child is showing these types of signs, Dr. Weichman urges parents to talk about the problem with their child and discuss options for addressing the issues. “It’s OK to take a day off of both school and practice if your kid needs to sleep in and rest both their mind and their body,” he says.

When To Seek Outside Support for Athlete Mental Health

It may be time to seek outside support when your child’s problems begin to affect their daily life and their sport and when these impacts have lasted two weeks or more, says Dr. Weichman.

Support for these challenges usually involves seeking care from a licensed therapist. Any type licensed therapist can be helpful; it’s all about finding the right match for your child.

“The best support is not only a competent clinician well-versed in the risk and resiliency factors of athletes, but also someone that the athlete can bond with,” says Dr. Jenkins. “Goodness of fit is still one of the best indicators of success in therapy, so no matter how talented and well-read a clinician is, if your young athlete isn’t connecting with them then it is time to move on to other options.”

Other resources and support

Besides the Courage First Athlete Helpline, some other mental health resources for student athletes include: